‘Tank’ Davis Stops Ryan Garcia with a Near-Invisible but Lethal Body Shot

LAS VEGAS-It was a slow burning fuse that saw Gervonta “Tank” Davis explode with an almost invisible blow to stop a dangerously quick Ryan Garcia to win the battle of undefeated super lightweights on Saturday.

Few saw the slow-reacting blow.

Baltimore’s clever counter-punching Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) proved once again by knocking out Garcia (23-1, 19 KOs) in front of a sold-out crowd at T-Mobile Arena, that he’s a special fighter. Both cautious and dangerous.

Despite the catchweight demands by Davis team to weigh 136, Garcia looked strong, quick and tall in this battle of undefeated young warriors. If there was any advantage it seemed to be the rangier Garcia with his quick jabs and always cocked to explode left hook.

Davis took no chances in testing its lethalness.

The first round saw few blows landing with Garcia more aggressive. His jab and reach kept Davis moving out of range of any dangerous assaults.

Garcia opened up furiously in the second round with a dizzying display of his hand speed that forced the Baltimore fighter to grab ahold. Garcia kept punching through the attempted clinches until the referee stopped the action.

It seemed Garcia was feeling confident about his predictions of an early knockout.

After a slow first round that saw Garcia shoot out quick jabs and set up for lightning left hook counters, Davis was cautious against the taller rangy fighter with knockout power.

Davis then survived the all-out second round assault by the lightning quick and taller Garcia and proved ready with a short counter left to that jaw that sent him to the canvas. Garcia got up quickly after the knockdown, but he seldom opened up with another similar attack.

“I gave him too much respect,” said Garcia. “I thought I had him pretty hurt. But I ran into a good shot an overhand left. It didn’t really hurt. I got impatient and got caught.”

Davis said he was expecting the assault.

“I felt he was more anxious than me. You got to stay calm and don’t want to make a bad decision. Like he did,” said Davis who has faced similar dangerous foes, but not as quick.

From rounds three until end the momentum was fully in Davis favor and he racked up points with strategically placed blows that kept him ahead on points. It was up to Garcia to make a move.

Garcia did score heavily in the sixth round with lead rights that bounced off Davis’s head. But not enough to cause concern for the smaller fighter. He kept his composure always looking for the precise counter.

It came in the very next round.

Knowing he was behind, Garcia made his move and re-ignited his attacking style. Davis seemed very sure of what to do and though he was aware of the quick bursts of the taller Southern California fighter’s style, he waited for the moment. During a short Garcia volley, Davis ducked under a shot and unleashed a short body shot while Garcia fired a right to the head. Both connected but Davis’s blow was a slow-burning body shot that took four seconds to collapse Garcia to one knee. Body shots are like that, they are more painful than head shots.

Referee Tom Taylor counted out Garcia at 1:44 of the seventh round.

The large pro-Davis crowd erupted in a roar at the unexpected knockout. Few saw the blow until it was replayed on the large screen in the arena. A short left to Garcia’s exposed liver caused the paralysis.

Garcia looked stunned by the blow’s effect though he had knocked out several foes in the same manner.

“He just caught me with a good shot,” said Garcia. “No excuses. I just couldn’t get up.”

After the fight Davis and Garcia posed together for photographers.

“] would say he was the best fighter,” said Davis about Garcia. “We was going off of each other’s energy. We was actually talking, it was fun while it lasted. I enjoyed every moment of it.”

So did Garcia.

“I was honored to be in the ring with him,” said Garcia. “He’s a great fighter.”

It started slow but ended with a body shot few could see.

Other Bouts

WBA super middleweight titlist David Morrell Jr. (9-0, 8 KOs) needed less than a round to destroy Brazil’s Yamaguchi Falcao (24-2-1, 10 KOs) and forge his name as a capable contender for better opposition.

“I’m so excited. It’s a big moment for me,” said Morrell.

In a battle between southpaws Morrell proved again that a lefty with a good right hook has the advantage as he used that weapon to floor the Brazilian twice and for good at 2:22 of the first round.

It was hardly a contest.

Morrell only has a handful of pro fights but wields enough power to compete with the big names of the super middleweight division. Put his name down as marquee worthy.

Falcao was hurt almost immediately by Cuba’s Morrell who whacked away at the Brazilian fighter’s body and head. He shredded any semblance of Falcao’s defense with big shots mostly from the wide right hook. A four-punch combo capped by a right hook staggered Falcao and another than sent him to the ropes. The referee halted the assault but it would not save the Brazilian. The fight resumed and Morrell resumed to whack at Falcao with right hooks. Down he went with a thud.

Referee Celestino Ruiz immediately stopped the fight at 2:22 of the first round for a technical knockout win for Morrell.

“I want to fight the best in my division,” Morrell said looking toward David Benavidez’s direction. “Hey David (Benavidez), you’re next.”

Super middleweight Bektemir Melikuziev (12-1, 9 KOs) was able to out-box clever Gabe Rosado (26-17-1, 16 KOs) to avenge his only pro loss in a strategic battle that never opened up into the back-and-forth warfare of their first encounter.

Unlike their first fight, this time Melikuziev never exchanged recklessly as in their first match that saw Rosado knock him out with a counter right cross. This fight was like a tetras game, block by block.

Melikuziev staggered Rosado in the fifth and 10^th round but was ultra careful for the counter and took the decision willingly despite the constant boos from the fans for the slow contest.

After 10 rounds all three judges scored the bout 99-91 for Melikuziev.

“This time the goal was to showcase my skills,” he said.

Arizona’s teen-aged Elijah Garcia (15-0, 12 KOs) went the distance for the first time as a pro in defeating Mexico’s rugged Kevin Salgado (15-2-1, 10 KOs) by unanimous decision after 10 rounds in a regional middleweight title fight.

It took Garcia several rounds to adjust to Salgado’s head butts and low blows while fighting inside, so he increased the tempo and took the fight outside for a brief moment in changing the pace of the fight.

It worked.

“I was standing a little too still,” said Garcia. “I had to move and box a little bit.”

Garcia took control with combinations on the outside especially with the right hook-left cross-right hook combination. Though he was deadly accurate Salgado took the punches like a human sponge.

Still, Garcia took over the fight even on the inside and used his combinations in-between Salgado’s to score big and cause Salgado to slow down. A low blow by the Mexican-based fighter in the seventh round sparked a point deduction from referee Robert Hoyle. After 10 rounds all three judges scored in favor of Garcia 95-94, 97-92 twice for the teen from Phoenix.

Photo credit: Al Applerose

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